How Heat’s reputation for developing players helped snag a prospect. And Kawhi pursuit
A six-pack of Miami Heat notes on a Thursday:
▪ The Heat has developed such a well-earned reputation for developing undrafted players that agents now call the Heat, hoping Miami’s developmental magic dust can elevate their young clients to successful NBA careers, as it has done with Udonis Haslem, Keith Askins, Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn and others.
In fact, that’s a part of the backstory with new Heat 7-foot center Omer Yurtseven.
His representative, longtime NBA agent Keith Glass, called Heat assistant general manager Adam Simon a couple of months ago to pitch the Heat on his client.
Why Miami?
“Because I know what they do developing guys,” Glass said recently, on the eve of the start of the NBA playoffs. “That’s why they’re still playing and others are not. There could not have been a better spot for him. They do a great job developing players.”
Besides Chet Kammerer’s and Simon’s ability to spot young talent — and the coaching staff’s ability to develop players — Glass said there’s something else key to Miami’s success unearthing and molding young prospects.
“The Heat is always in a [mind-set] where they’re not afraid and they trust their eyes,” Glass said.
During that initial conversation, Simon told Glass that Yurtseven already was someone that the Heat had some interest in.
“We stayed in touch” for a few weeks, Glass said.
Another undisclosed NBA team tried to sign him, but Yurtseven was dealing with COVID-19 at that time (April 6), and that scuttled that opportunity.
So he remained available, and the Heat brought him in for the required six COVID-19 tests and a workout and signed him May 14.
At least eight other teams had some level of interest, but Miami particularly appealed to Glass and Yurtseven.
“He’s an NBA player,” Glass said. “There are not a lot of skilled 7-footers. Hopefully it becomes a long term thing.”
Yurtseven has been playing for the Turkish National Team, which is trying to qualify for one of four spots available in the Olympic field; 24 countries are competing for those four spots. He had nine points — shooting 4 for 4 from the field — in 12 games of an Olympic qualifying game this week.
If Turkey doesn’t qualify, he likely would play on the Heat’s summer league team in Las Vegas in August.
Yurtseven’s $1.5 million contract with the Heat for next season is not guaranteed, according to a league source, but he’s expected to stick around — at least into training camp — unless his salary is needed to facilitate a trade.
Yurtseven appeared in 14 games (one start) with the G League’s Oklahoma City Blue this past season, averaging 15.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.36 blocks and 21.1 minutes while shooting 62.6 percent from the field and 38.1 percent on threes.
Before heading to the G League, Yurtseven signed a nonguaranteed deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder during training camp in December. But he was waived shortly after that and then moved to the Thunder’s G League affiliate.
Yurtseven played two seasons at NC State before transferring to Georgetown and went undrafted in 2020. He averaged 15.5 points while shooting 53.4 percent from the field and 3-of-14 shooting on threes, 9.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.5 blocks in his lone season at Georgetown in 2019-20.
His three-point shooting has developed well since; he hit 8 of 21 in the 14 G League games this season.
“I remember him as skilled;... had an nice shot to 18 feet,” said former NBA scout and North Carolina coach Matt Doherty, who’s now a broadcaster.
Yurtseven has since expanded his range.
“Bigs that can stretch the floor are wanted right now,” he said.
ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla said he envisioned Yurtseven as a good fit in Europe. But the Heat believes there’s NBA potential.
And Yurtseven is eager to join the Heat’s developmental program this summer.
“I’ve heard the summers are really brutal here, and that’s what gets me the most excited,” he said. “That’s what this team does; they develop guys and there are many examples. I’m ready for all the work and all the grind.”
He said beyond continuing to expand his range, the growth “is going to be all around — rebounding, defending and everything else that comes with it.”
▪ No surprise here, but The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported Thursday that the Heat and Dallas Mavericks “plan to make a hard push” to acquire Kawhi Leonard, who is expected to opt out of his contract and become a free agent this offseason. ESPN and The Athletic have reported he’s likely to re-sign with the Clippers.
O’Connor wrote that “Dallas is considered by some executives to be the most serious threat to land Kawhi because of Luka Doncic’s presence and the front office’s ability to create maximum cap space or work out a sign-and-trade.
“Leonard tried to recruit Jimmy Butler to the Clippers before [Paul] George was acquired, so Miami could offer Kawhi an enticing chance to play with him. Though the Heat can’t create max cap space, they could always work out a sign-and-trade just like they did to acquire Butler from the Sixers in 2019. All that said, signs still point to Leonard staying.”
Realistically, the Heat can carve out $28.5 million in space; more could be created only by trading Tyler Herro and Precious Achiuwa for future draft picks and nothing else, and even that wouldn’t be enough to accommodate Leonard’s first-year max salary topping $40 million.
That means the Heat would be unable to acquire him without a sign-and-trade.
Leonard missed the Clippers’ Western Conference finals series loss to Phoenix because of a knee injury.
▪ Even though the Heat doesn’t have a pick in this month’s NBA Draft, we’re told the team still plans to bring in some fringe draft prospects for predraft workouts. Pat Riley has said he hopes the Heat emerges with a couple of quality players in the draft process.
Those players would play on the Heat’s summer league team and would be candidates for two-way contracts.
Players can be on two-way contracts for as many as three seasons, so guard Gabe Vincent (who has spent the past two seasons on a Heat two-way) and forward Max Strus (who spent last season as a Heat two-way player) remain eligible for two-way deals with the Heat next season.
▪ If you missed this, SNY-TV’s Ian Begley — the former ESPN reporter who covers the Knicks — reported that impending restricted free agent guard Kendrick Nunn is on the “Knicks’ radar.”
Begley wrote that “one member of an opposing organization analyzing the market drew a comparison between the 25-year-old Nunn and Terry Rozier, who averaged nine points per game in his last season with the Celtics before signing a three-year, $56 million deal with Charlotte. Rozier’s role increased. His production also increased. The opposing team thought Nunn, who averaged 14.6 points per game last year, could follow a similar path if his opportunities increased.”
The Athletic’s John Hollinger recently reported that Nunn could command a deal in the $15 million-per-year range. The Heat, by tendering him before Aug. 2, would have the right to match any offer for Nunn. If Nunn stays with the Heat, his cap hit would be no higher than $4.7 million on Miami’s books next season regardless of his salary.
▪ Not only was Duncan Robinson one of only five players to start all 72 games this season, but if he re-signs with the Heat, he can set the record for most consecutive games in franchise history if he begins next season playing the first 28 games.
Robinson stands fifth on the Heat’s all-time consecutive game list at 147 games, behind Glen Rice (174), Grant Long (161), Norris Cole (160), and Adebayo (158, in a streak that ended in the Disney bubble).
He spoke recently about how much pride he takes in his durability.
Robinson now holds the top two spots on the all-time list of threes made in a season by an undrafted free agent: 270 last season and 250 this season. The rest of the top five: Damon Jones at 225, John Starks at 217 and Raja Bell at 205.
But the game has certainly changed. Of all of the Heat’s points this season, 35.93 percent came on three-pointers — highest in team history.
▪ Quick stuff: If the Heat has any question about the need to improve its rebounding this offseason, it should keep reminding itself of this: Miami allowed 59 rebounds per game in the Bucks series, by far the most any team had permitted in a playoff series in at least 25 years...
One stat unearthed by the Heat’s excellent media relations staff: Butler has now made 6 of 10 potential game-tying or go-ahead field goals in the final minute of a game in his postseason career, highest in the NBA in the past 25 years. That 60 percent tops Ray Allen, who stands No. 2 at 52.4 (11 of 21)....
Why yes, Maurice Harkless — who this Heat coaching staff had no use for — tweeted “LOL” just as the Heat was being eliminated from the playoffs.
